1. Field
The information disclosed relates to a fitting configured to assist in removing water from plumbing lines of a recreational vehicle.
2. Background Information
Recreational vehicles are equipment that dually are used as both a vehicle and either a temporary travel home and a full time home. Recreational vehicles (RV) are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, to full time living, for which they are often parked in special trailer parks. They typically contain beds, a table, kitchens, storage areas, bathrooms, refrigerators, and showers. The water needs of the kitchen, bathroom, and showers are serviced by plumbing lines.
In the winter, plumbing lines of recreational vehicles are susceptible to breaking if water is left inside the lines to freeze and expand. There typically are two techniques to choose from to prevent recreational vehicle pipes from bursting during extremely cold temperatures. The first technique includes filling the plumbing system using nontoxic antifreeze. The second technique requires that compressed air be blown into the plumbing lines to purge the water.
Using compressed air to blow RV plumbing lines requires at least two people. After all the drains are open and the onboard water pump is run until the faucets run dry, all the drains are closed except for the hot-water tank drain and a faucet farthest from the water pump, which are left open. As one person holds a compressed air hose to the RV freshwater inlet connection port, the other person moves about the RV to closes one faucet and opens another faucet for each line in which air comes out. This process is repeated throughout the RV until all the plumbing lines have been blown clean. The system finally is winterized once all the drains and faucets are closed and the water pump is turned off.
It is often difficult to find a second person interested in helping out winterizing a recreational vehicle. Often, the RV owner spends considerable time looking for additional help. Thus, there is a need to reduce the number of people needed to winterize a recreational vehicle.